Equinox
by PandaLvr99
Summary: Jack Frost always felt a void were his heart should have been. After revealing more of his memories, he realizes what he's missing, is the boy whom he'd loved all that time ago. But Hiccup's been gone for centuries, hasn't he? With the Bennet's relative coming to visit, Jack's not too sure. Is it merely his obsession? Hijack. Rated T Just in case. May be raised later.
1. Memories of a Lonely Spirit

If Jack Frost knew anything about loneliness, it was that no one deserved to experience the sickening and painful feeling that it was. It was darkness. Not just void of light, but pitch black with dread. Dread and misery. It was the emptiness felt in your chest that nothing but companionship could ever fill. It was knowing that, in fact, no one in the world gave a damn about your existence. It was depression, and learning how to mask it. This particular boy had endured this particular feeling his entire life. Well, his entire life as Jack Frost. Three hundred years.

The first time Jackson Overland laid eyes on the wiry frame of Hiccup Haddock III, was surly not coincidentally the first time he had felt his hardened heart skip. The sullen feeling of leaving his home, his family, and his friends, had disappeared the moment he stepped into Berk. Seeing a small teenage boy stumbling around with two large buckets of water, easily twice his weight had caused his heart to go into hyper drive. But he was Jack Frost now. The silly little fish bone, his one true love, was gone.

The winter spirit let out a long sigh as he tightrope walked across the power lines, his shepherd-like staff balanced on his shoulders and outstretched arms. Stars glimmering above his head, beautiful jewels laid against the black of the night, refusing to be washed out by the city lights seen from afar. Now wasn't exactly the time to be dwelling in the past, he decided. What was it now? Over 300 years? The boy chuckled sadly to himself, sitting down on the nearest rooftop and dangling his legs over the side.

Yet… Why shouldn't he dwell on the subject? Jack pondered the thought for a moment. It _had_ been two hundred years of denying the unknown pain in his chest, and he had only just discovered why he felt this way, (Other than the fact that no one could freaking _see _him, nor even believed in him,) so why not? He lay down and brought a colorful cylinder out of his pocket, slowly raising a hand to open it for one sweet, nearly faded memory. He sighed once again, watching the assortment of colorful patterned diamonds dance across his vision.

* * *

"Hey, Jackson!"

The teen lifted his head to the sound of his name, only to receive a face full of snow. He glared in the direction of the corporate, but his expression softened when he spotted the small freckled brunette, not five feet away. The guilty boy looked towards the sky, quickly raising his hands behind his head and side stepping in the opposite direction. Jackson smirked at the amusing scene, and carefully bent down to pick up two fistfuls of snow. Hiccup had his back turned, facing the recently arrived Night Fury (of which Jackson insisted wanted him dead, but Hiccup denied this,) so the mischievous boy tiptoed closer and closer, until-

*SPLASH*

Of course Hiccup had known Jackson would try to pull a counter attack, so he took it upon himself to drench the older male with a bucket of water. The younger leaned against Toothless, hand over his mouth to try and sustain the uncontrollable chuckles daring to erupt.

"Oops." Hiccup smirked, as Jackson held out his arms to shake them slowly, showing how much water had soaked into his shirt. He glared at the small Viking walking towards him, and held the expression as said boy reached over to brush of some of the frost starting to form on Jackson's clothes. "Didn't see you there, Overland."

"You little sh-" His words were muffled by the feeling of soft lips pressed against his. Without a complaint, he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist, and savored the warmth that was Hiccup.

* * *

Jack's eyes slowly opened, releasing a stream of tears down his pale face. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly, clenching the container in his hands. Slowly, he glanced up at the full moon in the sky and a sad smile crept onto his lips.

"Hey Manny.." his voice cracked, much to his embarrassment, but he continued, "You know that saying, 'It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all?' Well, Sometimes… I completely disagree. I almost liked it better when I had this cavity in my heart, and never knew what it was. I had always thought it was just my sadness of being unseen. But…" He chuckled softly and shook his head, "When I opened that tooth capsule the second time.. I remembered him.."

"Geeze, what a drama queen. You are aware that you look pretty loony talking to yourself like that, Frost."

Jack jumped to his feet, startled by the sudden second voice, half expecting the Man in the Moon to finally be answering one of his long ramblings. Unfortunately, something a little more irritating had appeared instead. He rolled his eyes dramatically, and turned to face his unexpected company. What appeared to be a teenage girl, sat cross-legged on the same roof as Jack, not two feet behind him. She was dressed in a graphic t-shirt along with a pair of baggy camo pants, and her combat boots seemed dirtied and worn. Piercings dotted her slightly tanned face, giving her a, 'Don't Fuck with me,' vibe. How had he not heard her coming?

"Jesus Pends!" He scowled, making the girl giggle childishly, "There _are_ other ways to get people's attention other than, say, scaring them half to death."

"Well lucky for me, you're not a person, and you can't exactly die." She sighed and stretched out a pair of elegant eagle wings from her back. "You're a _Guardian._" Her face turned to one of disgust at the word. Jack rolled his eyes again.

"Thanks for reminding me." He walked over and sat down, shoving her arm playfully. She smiled and locked her eyes with his.

"But seriously. I came to make sure you were okay. Tooth said something about-"

"Yeah I'm fine." He answered all too quickly, avoiding the girl's gaze by examining the box he still held. "Just been thinking about…" He trailed off and hung his head. Penda looked over sympathetically.

"Maybe you shouldn't keep opening that thing if it makes you feel like this twenty-four seven."

"But I have to." Jack whispered, "Now it hurts _not_ to remember. Not to know everything about what we were before."

"Well.." Penda pursed her lips. "We all have the will to love. Before you met that boy, you didn't believe that. You thought that you were an exception. Yet you had just enough in you, that when you saw him, everything was instantaneously better, right?"

"Right." The winter spirit murmured.

"So why isn't that enough? I'll tell you why. We are given the freedom to love, but it always, _always_, comes with a price." Jack scoffed in response to the statement.

"Leave it to you to find a connection with freedom among all of this. Self-centered, much?"

"Hey, freedom has everything to do with love." The girl smiled brightly, "That's why Cupid and I are best friends."

"What!?'" Jack put a hand over his heart. Penda shoved his arm forcefully and smirked.

"Oh shut up. Fine. Second best friend." She giggled at his over dramatically joyed expression. Her's turned serious again. "It'll all turn out. Okay?"

The boy smiled sadly. "Kay. Thanks. Miss Independence."

"What's with the miss?"

"Just seems weird to call you by your full name without making fun of it."

"Fair enough." She shrugged. They both stood, and Jack reached over to pull her in for a tight hug.

"But really, thanks." He muttered into her long black hair.

"Don't mention it, squirt." Penda pulled away and ruffled his hair. "How 'bout we go visit Jamie and the others tomorrow, yeah?"

"Sure!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. Jack's smile grew as he remembered the awesome kids he had met not that long ago. Him and Pends visited them occasionally, but tried to keep it quiet from North and the other Guardians. Heaven knows what rules they were breaking. Then again, what do you expect when you see a guardian of fun along with a spirit of freedom?


	2. Hearts to be Mended

**A/N: Whoa, WHAT? People are actually READING this? I can not tell you how happy this makes me you guys. Thank you, thank you, thank you, leave a review, follow/favorite, (it helps a lazy bum update!) THANK YOUUU ^.^ **

**P.S. Before all the confusion starts, Sebastian, (the character I will be introducing in this chapter,) his name is pronounced 'seh-bah-stian.' Bah, like.. Ball. I don't really know how else to explain it XD Oh, and expect earlier updates. I need to work on that!**

* * *

Love is unfair. Love is unnecessary, heartbreaking, terrible and cruel. Love is all horrid things crushed and packed into one belief. The question is though, is it worth the pain? Because buried beneath all the hate and gore, is something so overwhelmingly beautiful that most can't even comprehend it's magnificence. It's striking gold after years of digging and sifting, it's that one small yet bright glow among the blackest of skies, it's finding that feeling inside your self that you were sure could never exist so strongly. It was there, and it was sickening yet gorgeous.

Jack didn't know whether to feel fortunate or less for the blessing, (and/or curse,) that had been bestowed upon his fragile heart. He knew it was the right thing to do, opening that container, but... was the right thing the best thing?

He tossed all of these sappy, (though emotionally effective,) thoughts into the back of his mind, dreading the moment they would be brought back, but anticipating the moments soon to come.

"Guys, it's Jack!" The small Bennet boy's face lit up at the sight of the winter spirit approaching.

His friends surrounded him, eyes bright and smiles priceless. Jack landed swiftly, immediately running his staff along the ground, creating snowballs in its wake. As the battle began, he spotted Pends not too far way, giving Sophie a ride a couple of feet in the air. He quickly gestured her in,and they both quickly joined in on Jamie's team.

After an hour or so, the snow war turned into a snowman competition. Jamie, Sophie, and Jack started to roll out the bottom, the middle, and the they got the main shape, conversation began as they worked on the details.

"It's so cool that your actually a guardian now, Jack!" Jamie exclaimed as he searched for any sticks that would resemble arms at any extent, "What do you like, do, exactly?"

"Well.." Jack scratched the back of his neck. " Basically I now have a limit on school days per city. Which blows. Plus it's pretty tiring considering I have certain deadlines concerning when and where it needs to be cold and/or snow, but," he shrugged, a smirk plating at his lips, "I'm not exactly one to follow the rules, am I?"

Jamie giggled in response and shook his head. A few minutes later, he instructed his younger sister to go into the house and search the fridge for something to help sculpt the face.

"Oh!" The older Bennet exclaimed, a bright smile filling his features, "I forgot to tell you! My cousin is coming this week!" Jack grinned warmly at the boy's excitement.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Jamie bounced a little, clearly excited for this mysterious cousin of his to show up. "His name is Sebastian, and he's moving here to stay with us until he can afford to be completely on his own. He's traveling all the way from Norway!" his heart skipped slightly, but Jack chuckled, packing the snow around the snowman's middle.

"Is that so? Where exactly in Norway?"

"This little old town called Berk." And at that, Jack froze, turning to stare wide-eyed at the boy.

"...Berk?" He squeaked. Jamie raised a brow.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what it was called. Why?"

"Uh.." Jack cleared his throat, "No reason. Just an old friend that used to live there." He smiled reassuringly as Sophie rushed out with a few assorted fruits and vegetables. "Right!" He clapped his hands together, "Let's do this!"

The long fun-filled day had ended with Penda, Cupcake and Pippa winning the contest, (along with a series exaggerated complaints from Jack,) and parents calling in their children for the two spirits flew in a comfortable silence through the crimson sky. The only interruption would be the sudden portal developing straight down the direct path of flight. Attempting to stop short and avoid the speeding sleigh, Jack's collar ended up getting snatched by a yeti. Once, thrown onto one of the seats along with his companion, (Of which had a heck of a time scolding the yetis about damaging her proudly worn wings,) and they had soon arrived at the pole. North welcomed them into his large castle, leading them towards his decently sized, (and decorated,) office.

"Welcome, children!" His voice boomed across the room in his strong Russian accent.

"Don't kid yourself, North." Penda tucked her wings under her jacket, hiding them completely, "We all know who's the elder here."

"Ah, but not so much in appearance, da?"

"Yeah yeah." She rolled her eyes as Jack chuckled at the oddly structured conversation, and picked up one of the Russian's frozen knick-knacks. "Now explain why I was kidnapped."

"HAH! Kidnapped? Not so much. Jack was brought here for hearing, we thought you might get worried if you were left behind in middle of sky." A mumbled, 'duh' was heard before Jack raised a brow at the older Guardian.

"Hearing? For what?"

North crossed his large tattooed arms and glanced down at the youngest of the three. "Do I need to remind you of incident in loopdy-loops?"

"Everyone here is loopdy-loop." Penda grumbled, mocking a Russian accent as she took a seat in North's ginormous chair. The other two ignored her.

"Ohh Yeah.." Jack rubbed the back of his neck and directed his gaze to the floor, "Heh.. Sorry 'bout that one.. I was just.. Having a little.. Fun?"

"This excuse is not acceptable, Jack." North stated, an adoring smile planted on his jolly face, "Not this time. Now must I gather Yetis, or will you clean up mess with out question?

"Well," The winter spirit sighed. "I wouldn't want to see Phil's reaction to this. Alright. I'll get started."

"Great news!" North turned to face the door, ushering them out of his office. "Oh, and Jack?" The boy turned to face him, "You must complete task by self. No help." With a annoyed groan from Jack and a chuckle from both the man and Penda, Jack set off to reconstruct his mess.

* * *

A cold chill ran through Berk, making Sebastian shiver under his thick layer of clothing. Thank the Gods he was moving out of this forsaken place. Don't get me wrong, He had grown up here, this was his hometown, and he had so many memories. Though it sucked that most of them were just as bad as the weather.

For the majority of his childhood, Sebastian lived with his great uncle in a run-down apartment built above their shop. Working there had provided him with enough money to finally move out, because he seriously needed to get out of this old, depressing small town. There was something that didn't feel right here, and when he heard that his other aunt, Stephanie Bennett, had moved to Burgess some time ago, he felt drawn to the place instantly.

When he was younger, he had spent a great deal of time with Stephanie, so they had been pretty close. She comforted him when his parents died, she provided for him, and he'd stayed with her until she moved to be with her fiance', leaving him in the "care" of great uncle Mildew, (although Sebastian was convinced there were a few more 'great's tacked in front of the name.) As soon as the boy had turned twelve, Mildew had started to make Seb work in the shop to pay him rent and food supply.

So, after a lot of careful planning and saving, the lanky brunette called Steph a few months ahead of time, and was now watching his two large suitcases and one backpack being loaded into the plane's storage area. Mildew merely nodded a farewell before Seb climbed up the stairs and sat down in his empty seat, letting out a long, relieved sigh. He brought out his iPod and headphones, setting the small speakers over his ears and leaning back in his seat. After a few songs, his eyes started to droop shut into a comfortable sleep for the first time in years.

The plane ride dragged on, and after many sodas snacks naps, and a series of sad excuses for movies, they landed in a town not far from Burgess. Stephanie was already there, and gave him a tight hug. He smiled as they hopped into her car, happily listening to her ramble about how tall he had gotten, how grown up he looked, and answered all of her questions. Yes, he'd been eating, No, Mildew didn't leave him on the streets. He had gotten his braces removed when he was twelve, and needed glasses by age thirteen. The questions were simple, but they meant the world to him. No one ever took interest in him, (Why would they, I'm not so interesting, he thought,) so hearing Steph babble enthusiastically plastered a wide grin on the boy's face.

Not to much longer, they arrived at the Bennet's house, only For Seb to get rushed and tackled by the two younger kids. He never did have younger siblings, but Jamie and Soeph were the closest things he'd ever had. He mentioned work to pay off rent, but Steph waved a hand and stated that the notion was nonsense. She would only let him pay landowners, not family. Unfamiliar, (but very great full,) with the gesture, the teen smiled genuinely, thanked her about a million times within the hour, and settled into the small guest room upstairs.

The next day, Seb discovered just how loud the house could get when you weren't alone. So politely informing his Aunt that he was going to familiarize himself with the town, he grabbed his sketch book in his backpack along with his laptop, and headed out the door. If he remembered correctly, last time he had visited, him and Steph had walked downtown to a coffee shop a few years back. They probably had free wifi. Seb snorted and rolled his eyes at himself. Wasn't that the worry of this generation? Wifi connection? Dear Gods, this is what the world is turning to.

Finally reaching the shop, (after a lot of embarrassing twists and redirection,) he ordered a coffee, sat himself beside a large window, and placed his sketchbook on the table. He flipped through drawings, ranging from landscape to animals and people, but the majority of the sketches, were made up of dragons. The freckled teen did feel a bit childish with the obsession of his, but the creatures drew an interest that he himself could never explain. They were deadly but grace full. Harsh but Noble. Silent yet heard. Listening to his thoughts drift this way caused him to yet again roll his eyes at himself. Hopeless, that's what I am, he decided.

* * *

Penda stormed down the side walk, furious. She entered the cafe', an angry vibe following. She went up to the counter and slammed a news paper down on the glass, (surprisingly nothing broke.) The man working the register barely looked up from his book.

"What the hell Jason!" She growled, gaining a few odd looks from the other customers."You selfish bastard, I want the money back. Now."

He simply shrugged. "No. I earned it. therefor, I keep it."

The rage in the girls expression was absolutely unmistakable, snapping the man's cool expression just by a little. She was about to go off about the matter, when she stopped to stare at the figure by the nearest window. "Ah.. Jason.. I'll get back to you on this.." She ignored his confused expression to take a few steps closer to the window, mentally encouraging the boy by the window to turn around. She prepared for disappointment, because it couldn't be.. It wasn't possible... Then the auburn haired head turned from the window pane, and Penda's eyes grew wide, not caring about her probably silly looking shocked expression. No. Fucking. Way.

**A/N: PHEW. *collapses* Sorry about the time jumps, those will probably lessen as the story calms down a bit, (as much as a Hijack story can "Calm Down" at least. Teehee.) Anyways. Thanks for reading, Review? Follow? Favorite? Pahleaaase? ^u^ **


	3. No Time For Love

**A/M: I'M SORRY, I AM SO SO SORRY YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW, UGHHHH. I take foreverrrr! Plus school just started, and homework, and people, and my cat is walking in front of the screen, and Homecoming is coming up, and guys I don't wanna wear a dreeeeess DDD: AND may I just say guys, love sucks. It suuucks. FML.**

* * *

A young woman skipped down the path carved into the peaceful forest, the trees acting as a canopy to block out the sun, only small bright rays sneaking through the gaps of rich green. Her wavy blonde hair swished behind her, a bow and arrows slung carelessly in a bag over her shoulder. A smirk plastered across her slightly freckled face, red eyes glowing with excitement, and something of pride. An unseen voice cleared its throat, stopping the woman sort to turn in the direction of the sound. A tall lean man stepped out of the shadows, wearing a elegant suit to match his perfectly styled slick grey hair. Aged dull grey eyes peered down, half lidded, at the slightly shorter girl.

"Father Time!" She exclaimed, slightly nervous. "What brings you to my domain?"

"I think you know what, Cupid. I believe you have something of mine?" The old man reached forward and held out his hand. Cupid's face paled, and she turned to run. With a flick of the man's wrist, she froze mid-run. "Now." He smiled. "Let's try this again."

* * *

Of course Seb had heard the commotion up front, he just chose to ignore it. He had expected the other people in the cafe to at least look up from whatever they were doing in response to the outburst, but they sat and continued normally as if it were a regular occasion. It was only when the screaming girl stopped to gape at him… Well then it got a little uncomfortable. He glanced up at her, then behind him, and back at her.

"Uhh," He cleared his throat. "Can I... Help you?"

The fazed girl blinked shook her head a couple of times. "Oh, ahh, sorry. You just… look very much like... a close friend of mine.." She stared at him with her head tilted, as is trying to configure a complicated puzzle. "Weird.." She murmured.

Right as Seb was about to comment, a thick sheet of ice coated the window in thick sheets, as if frost were suddenly layered across the space. The girl looked out, and let out a frustrated groan.

"Now?! UGH. I'll.. " She turned to Seb again and gave a short wave. "See yah around." She shot one last glare to Jason behind the counter, and ran outside, shouting at someone at the top of her lungs to, "Cut it out already, before people notice."

Jason sighed, shaking his head and turned to Seb, who was certainly confused beyond belief. "A real character, she is."

"Who was she?" Seb pushed his glasses up, still watching the door that the mysterious girl had stormed out of. The cashier gave him a puzzling look.

"You don't know Pends?" The brunette shook his head. "Ah. Well, you must be new. Everyone around here knows her. She runs Overland Park, really nice place. She's pretty damn nuts, but cool. Unless you get on her bad side.." The man shuttered.

"What was she going on about, might I ask?"

Jason shrugged. "Not important. Just don't piss her off, she'll seem a bit more sane that way. Don't go and start falling for her though. I warn you, she's not one to date or be dated."

Seb chuckled. "Pretty sure you won't have to worry about that.."

* * *

"JACK I SWEAR, GET YOUR SKINNY ASS OVER HERE." Penda stomped around, trying to follow Jack. She couldn't exactly take off at the moment, because when she did she would disappear from human sight. Literally. So she shamelessly appeared insane, shouting Jack's name into the air at random times. People had gotten used to it though, it's just what she did. The female spirit stopped under a tree Jack was currently perched on , and glared up. "Have you even finished construction?"

Jack threw his head back dramatically. "Ughhh! It's so boring!"

"Boring or not, you still have to do it." Penda mumbled. Then she remembered. "Dude! I just saw someone in the cafe. He looks freaking exactly like-" She got cut off by a portal opening just under the tree, sparkling colors swirling around a pure glowing white space directly in the center. Jack yelped as a very yeti-looking arm shot up and grabbed him by the ankle. In an instant, he was pulled in, and gone. "Well then." she shrugged. "Maybe later."

The spirit began to walk down the b cracked and worn down road, hands in the pockets of her zipper-covered leather jacket. What would Jack have done if she had told him? Would he freak out? Would he hurl himself into even further depression? That was definitely possible. Should… Should she even tell him at all? It might just hurt him even more. Then again, maybe he just needed closure. If he saw that boy in the cafe, would it give him reassurance…? Or just false hope?

Penda shook her head and checked the time on her phone. In about half an hour , she was going to have dinner with the Bennetts, (being the official babysitter for Jamie and Sophie, Steph invited her over frequently.) 'Might as well head over there now,' She thought, taking a different direction down the street.

The sun had just started to set, rays of gold pooling over the town, giving it a familiar comfortable aura. The snow reflected the various shades of reds, pinks and oranges, causing everything to glimmer and shine, like microscopic diamonds had been scattered about the ground and rooftops. buildings rose unevenly about the streets, street lamps beginning to flicker to life as the sun lowered itself further. There was something calming about the town, as if love itself had been born and raised here, taking it's first steps until it learned to run, then was sent to spread it's sorrow and joy across the world. Maybe it only seemed that way because Penda had experienced love at it's finest right here in this small town. She laughed quietly to herself as she recalled the beginning of it all.

"Jackson, I swear, if you throw that Gods forsaken snowball at me, I will have to bash your face in." The pale girl sat cross legged on the ground, her long black hair pinned out of her face as she stitched a hole in her boots closed. The boy behind her frowned and threw the cold ball to the side.

"Awh, Come on Frihet*!" Jack plopped down cross-legged on the ground beside her, pouting like a child. "You're no fun."

"I am plenty fun." The girl shrugged, reaching over to ruffle his shaggy brown hair. "I just don't enjoy getting pelted with sloppy ice orbs."

"Fair enough." Jackson laughed, but the joyful sound died down as a figure walked past the two. "Fri? Who.. who is that?"

"Him? Oh, that's Hiccup. He works as a blacksmith apprentice. He also helped train all the dragons in Berk. Even started the whole practice, he did."

Hiccup's face was practically buried into his book, lips moving along silently with his mind, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. Frihet looked back and forth between the two boys, noticing Jack's gaze directed towards the smaller boy. She smirked and poked at his cheek.

"Jack loves the dragon rider~" She sang, teasing. Jacks face flushed a bright pink, and he shook his head quickly.

"N-no!" He swatted her away, flustered.

"Just go talk to him." Her head twitched in the direction where Hiccup had sat down on a bench.

"I will talk to him! ..Eventually."

Frihet sighed. "Getting your axe sharpened every morning at the blacksmith's does not count as regular conversation. Yeah, that's right, I know your logic. "

"No! I- .. It does too count." Jackson rested his head on his arms folded over his legs, and continued to stare at the freckled boy longingly. "What would I even to say to someone that beautiful?"

Penda blinked back to the present, finding herself in front of Stephanie's door. She smiled sadly, and rang the doorbell.

* * *

Seb began to pack up his things just as his Aunt had texted him, telling him it was time for dinner. His mind frequently drifted to that.. what was her name? Panda? Penda? Whatever. She seemed to recognize him immediately, never taking her eye off him, but not in a weird way. It was like… Well he didn't exactly know.

Did she know him? He was pretty sure they'd never met, but something seemed... Almost familiar about her. He shook his head and walked up the short driveway. The sun had just lowered when he stepped inside. He stopped short when he entered the kitchen, recognizing the figure standing and laughing with Steph. His aunt turned to him and smiled.

"Oh there he is! Sebastian, this is my friend, Independance."

"Penda's fine." The girl smirked, "But you knew that. I knew I said that I'd see you around squirt, but I didn't expect _you'd_ be Steph's famous little nephew." She chuckled, "Might have acted a little less like I was completely crazy."

Seb blinked and shook his head. This was going to be a rather awkward dinner.

* * *

***Frihet is Norwegian for "Freedom." Who's smart? I AM.**

**A/N: Alright! That's all I have for tonight. Again, sorry for the delay! But seriously, If you desire quicker updates, PLEASE. REVIEW. FAVORITE. FOLLOW. WHATEVER. PLEASE. It will seriously help me update faster.**


	4. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**THIS IS AN AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Hey you guys! So, I'm honestly not getting a lot of feed back on this story, so I'm leaning towards the idea that.. welll... that it sucks. Sooo, if you could, please set a review on this note and tell me if I should continue with this. I'm feeling pretty low on confidence with this one, SOOO yes, if you enjoy it, please let me know, or this fic will come to an abrupt end. Thanks!**

~Panda


	5. Love Cheats

**Sorry this one took a lil' longer, but school and stuff. And people. Ugh. People. But seriously, whoa you guys! :D You really like this? I can't thank you enough for all the pretty lil' reviews you've been leaving! The support is seriously fueling my ability to write more, so lets try this out. I love you guys, every single one of you! 3**

* * *

Cupid's eyes were wide with fear, unable to speak due to the numb and sealed feeling in her lips. The old man who had drug her to the dark damp cellar sat a few feet away, one hand to his chin as he sat on an old wooden stool. A Great Grandfather clock ticked in time in the background, echoing off of the cold stone walls.

"Now Cupid," He started calmly, "You know what you did, my dear. You know just as well as I do that it was against the rules. We can't have that, can we? First things first, I would like to ask for my artifact back, please." He held out his hand, and from beneath the girls collar, rose a golden stop watch. It floated it's way to Father Time's palm, and came to rest in the center. "There we are." He smiled, and tucked the watch under his jacket, and waved his hand again.

The invisible bonds that held Cupid's mouth shut released, letting her take a huge breath, slightly panting afterwards. "What are going to do, Chronos?" She smirked, using his mortal-given name, "Reverse what I've done? You know it will destroy many already made bonds. You couldn't."

"Yes." Chronos smiled sickly, the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth giving him a sinister glower, "But I can make the love suffer. It was bound to happen eventually. Even if I can't kill either of them due to the bonds, the viking boy will weather off eventually. Over time." He chuckled at his own pun, "You obviously haven't thought this over, my dear. What will it do to Jack when his love grows old and forgets? When he grows up without him, when he can't see him any longer? Why, it will be worse than last time. You stupid girl."

Cupid's eyes grew in realization. "No." She whispered, "I… I only wanted to help. Now.. Oh what have I done..."

* * *

Dinner was about as uncomfortable as it could get. Well, for Seb anyways. Penda laughed and joked around with the Bennetts, but all the poor boy could do was try not to stare at the strange woman, and wonder what the hell she had meant earlier. He felt very conscious, because he could feel Penda's eyes on him every time he looked away. Of course he had experienced girls gazing at him before (because, like, hormones...), but he could tell there was none of _that _kind of admiration in this girl's stare. It was if she was observing him, trying to figure out an impossible puzzle. Quite frankly, it was freaking him the hell out. When topics were just about to run out, and dessert was being served, Steph mentioned Seb's offer he kept bringing up.

"Seriously Pends, Sebby here keeps insisting on paying us rent for letting him live here!"

"Awh, that's sweet though." Penda chuckled and glanced over at the boy.

"That's exactly what I thought, but get this. Mildew made him pay full rent. Just to live in his own home."

"Well, he did provide the job though.." Seb interrupted quietly, "He could've made me find a job on my own."

"Honey," Steph gave him a sad look, "He didn't even help you. You were practically paying the bills yourself! Then making you buy your own food… I'm sorry, but that's just inconceivable. You're only fifteen years old, for God's sake."

Seb shrugged. "It's how I grew up."

"Tell you what." Penda propped her elbows on the table, "If you're itchin' to find a place to work and earn your stay, you can come on over to my park if you'd like. I could always use a helping hand. There's extra rooms and everything." Penda couldn't believe what she was implying.

"I would hate to be a burden.." Seb rubbed his arm, looking down at his plate.

"Not at all." She smiled reassuringly at the boy, "Stop by tomorrow, I'll show you around a bit, and we'll see how you like it. Hows that sound?"

"Fine.. Awesome, actually. Thank you.."

"Of course." Penda gave him a soft look, "Anything for a friend."

Seb couldn't fall asleep that night. Something was eating at him, but he just couldn't tell what. He had begun to believe that he might possibly be feeling something for Penda, but the idea was cast out quickly. Girls weren't exactly…. the path he had chosen. He knew he was into guys the moment some chick at his old school tried to make a move on him. Didn't end too well.

So why the hell did he feel some sort of connection with this girl? It felt like he'd known her forever, like whenever they spoke he wanted to just tell her about his day, what he was feeling, or what was on his mind. Then there was that weird fact that at the cafe', when Penda ran out screaming at the air, he could have sworn he saw her chasing after something. Something flying about in the air. "What is _wrong_ with me?" he groaned into his pillow, and continued on his attempt towards sleep.

* * *

Sebastian stood awkwardly in front of the old rusted park gates, not really sure what to do or where to go. Years of standing and weathering away overlapped the beautiful curved iron letters, "Overland" as they stared down from their height. He sighed, and started on the path that led up to the main office building. Upon entering, a small cheerful bell rung clearly through the air, and in an instant Panda swooped in front of him, a broad grin stretched across her face.

"Hey Seb! Good to see you!" She lifted her water bottle, taking a long drink. She wore jogging clothes and and ipod holder around her waist.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'm rather used to being called Hiccup." He murmured. Penda's eyes widened, and she turned away as water spewd from her mouth. Seb, or 'Hiccup,' raised an eyebrow as she started to cough a little. "Well gee, I knew it was a weird nickname, but I didn't think it was _that_ funny."

It took a second for Penda to recover. "No, no! It's not that. Wrong pipe… Uhh, how'd you get that nickname, might I ask?"

He shrugged. "Mildew. He said it was a tradition that ran through my runts are called 'Hiccups.' So it basically means I'm a mistake." He chuckled, "Haven't told Steph. She'd probably freak."

The girl laughed, "You're probably right. Well then Hiccup, are you ready for a little sightseeing?" She held out an arm, which Hiccup surprisingly instantly took.

Penda showed him around the basic areas. The food cart, picnic area, a small stream, rec center, a few peaceful clearings (where Hiccup couldn't help but think of as perfect painting areas), and finally, inside the main building. The entrance held a business-like desk and a couple couches in front of a two sided staircase. A door led from the front lobby into the kitchen, and another to the basement. Up the stairs was a long hallway that held four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Penda turned to Hiccup, smiling.

"So what do you think, kid? Feel helping out around here?" She leaned against the desk, giving him a reassuring glance. He couldn't help but accept.

* * *

Jack wiped his brow, inspecting his work below. It wasn't exactly perfect, but it would hold. The damage hadn't been that bad. Or at least he didn't think so. He signaled Phil to get North. The old man came to inspect Jack's work, soon after patting the boy's back roughly and congratulating him on "job well done." Jack thanked him, and immediately left on his way to the park. He arrived soon enough, bursting through the front door and up the stairs into Penda's room, She sat on her bed, facing away from him.

"I'm DONE." He dramatically flopped beside her on the bed, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"You could have knocked." She chuckled, sounding a bit congested, "Could've been naked in here. You probably wouldn't complain though, you pervert."

"Hah, you know that's not true, stupid." Jack smiled, then realized she couldn't be congested at all. Spirit's didn't get sick. "Hey, you alright?"

She turned to him, light tears streaming down her face. She smiled. "Don't worry, dork." She wiped her face, "I'm pretty sure their tears of joy."

Jack put a hand on her shoulder and smirked "Why? Did Jason get put on someone's death note or something?" Penda never cried. The only time he had ever witnessed it, was when she got involved with some human a century or two ago. It hadn't ended well.

She laughed again, "Nah, I wish." She bit her lip. "It's… Something else. Something I think You'd like maybe more than me."

Jack's expression turned to that of a child on Christmas morning. "Really? What is it?"

She paused, not sure if she should go through with it. "Go outside and look inside the window of the room across from mine. Do not go in, no matter what. Confront me first."

He gave her a confused look, "Um.. Okay."

Jack flew around the outside of the house, counting the windows. He finally managed to find the window Penda was talking about. He rubbed the glass for a clear view, then cupped his hands around his eyes as the glanced in. A figure was laying out a bed spread and unpacking some clothes.

_'Oh.'_ He thought. _'She hired someone. Cool. But.. Why would she cry over it? It's just some guy helping her out. Hell, she doesn't even need help. Mother Nature helps her out with the park. So why would she...'_

The figure turned, and Jack could have sworn he felt his immobile heart drop.

* * *

**Don't kill me ._. SOOO, there was my (belated,) update! A special thanks to xXkiraXo, HoneyBeeez, The Kelz, SwaggamuffinMooh, and of course the lovely AdrianAbyss for the gorgeous support! I love EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has favorited, followed, voted, reviewed, or even put in the time to read here! Thank you so much, and remember to always keep reviewing for more chapters to come!**

**P.S. I sorry but not really sorry about the death note reference. It had to be done XD**

~Panda


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